Are these bed bugs biting me?? (Pictures enclosed)

April 15, 2019 5:33 PM

Had numerous bites that I thought were mosquitos but they all healed and then have come back even more?? Pictures inside.

Have dozens of small pink bites on ankles/elbows. They all healed but about about a week later a fresh crop of bites in exactly the same places came up. I first thought it was a rebound reaction but the bites seem new.

I had a bed bug catcher at the feet of my bed (out of caution, never had actual bugs) and have caught these 2 bugs. Are they bed bugs?! I've also taken a look and do see some black specks on the bed base but could be anything.

Here's pictures of the 2 guys and also one of the bed slats looking for "specs".

I'm freaking out a little appreciate some clear help:
-Are these bed bugs? If so what's the responsibility in NYC for renter/tenant? What do I do tonight?!

posted by artificialard to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

Those aren't bed bugs. Not sure exactly what they are but they look like beetles.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 5:45 PM on April 15, 2019

Definitely not bed bugs.
posted by Automocar at 5:51 PM on April 15, 2019

I'm thinking they could be mites, but they seem far to large. Perhaps ticks, but also quite large. They look more like weevils or beetles if you ask me. Is it possible that the bites and these insects are totally unrelated?
posted by JamesBay at 5:55 PM on April 15, 2019

I say this only because I had a whole bunch of "bites" that turned out to be itchy hair follicles from friction with some chelsea boots, but: Are you absolutely sure you've got bites and not some kind of pore or follicle issue or allergic reaction?

If I remember correctly from my bedbug scare/bedbugger.com days, the specks/feces produced by bedbugs are basically blood, so if you dampen a white cloth and put it on a speck, it will show reddish.
posted by Frowner at 5:56 PM on April 15, 2019

Smooth Spider beetles?
posted by Ashwagandha at 6:13 PM on April 15, 2019

The bites look like chigger bites, but the bugs are a lot bigger...
posted by sallybrown at 6:35 PM on April 15, 2019

Those aren't bedbugs.

That doesn't mean the bites couldn't be bedbugs, but I guess Occam's razor suggests the things you found (some sort of beetle I think) should be the culprit to investigate first. But don't discount the possibility that there may be different bugs doing different things. Black specks on the bed base could be bedbug feces.

Examining the lesions won't do you any good -- everyone's skin reacts differently to arthropod bites. All you can tell is that you got bit by some arthropod. Fleas, bedbugs etc could all look like that.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:28 PM on April 15, 2019

if you want to put your mind at ease for good, put one of those suckers in a little rx bottle or what have you and drive it out to cornell cooperative extension on long island, and they will ID it for you. it is also possible they might be willing to receive it by mail.. can't quite remember. but they are very nice and knowledgeable.. and as stressful as this problem is, well, in your position I would want to hear it from an expert.
posted by elgee at 10:11 PM on April 15, 2019

Those are spider beetles. They don't bite or sting, and are scavengers that like damp places and eat more or less anything - dropped foodstuffs, dried poop, discarded hair, rotten wood, etc. They best way to prevent them is by keeping things clean and sorting out any damp issues. They're likely not your problem, anyway.
posted by pipeski at 3:21 AM on April 16, 2019